The Jacksonville Jaguars fired their head coach Urban Meyer after only 13 games with the NFL organization.
“After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban’s tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone,” owner Shad Khan said in a statement released early Thursday. “I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen.”
In Meyer’s only season with the Jaguars, the team went 2-11, its 10th season with double-digit losses in the past 11 years.
However, issues off the field are what doomed him.
From hiring a strength and conditioning coordinator who had been accused of making racist remarks and bullying Black players, to a video of Meyer with a woman who was not his wife at a bar, to tensions between Meyer and his staff and players, there was dysfunction almost from the moment Meyer was hired.
Approximately an hour after the public apology, another video emerged that appeared to show Meyer groping a woman’s buttocks while he was sitting at the bar. The woman appeared to be wearing the same clothes — jeans and a white top — as the woman in the first viral video.
Kicker Josh Lambo also reported that Meyer kicked him in the leg during warm-ups in the pre-season.
Receiver Marvin Jones Jr. had to be persuaded to return to the team facility after Meyer criticized the wide receivers, and there were reports of heated words between Meyer and Jones when he did return.
Meyer denied a report that he called his assistants “losers.”
Meyer won three national championships and compiled a 187-32 college coaching record during stints at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He won two of those titles (2006, 2008) with the Gators, whom he led to a 65-15 record in six seasons. He also led the Buckeyes to the 2014 national title and compiled an 83-9 record in seven seasons in Columbus, Ohio.
Meyer also was placed on paid administrative leave on Aug. 1, 2018, in his final season at Ohio State after reports surfaced that he knew about spousal abuse allegations against assistant coach Zach Smith. Ohio State had fired Smith the previous week.
